MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR .........LATE!

Well, I'm gonna have to start the new year out without pictures because I can't find them! Ugh...
Anyway, I hope everyone had a great Christmas! We did!
I wish you a blessed New Year!
I am so far behind on my blog that I can't even believe it. I have made so many things and taken pictures but I simply don't know what they are under and not even sure they were put on my computer! If I ever find them, I will share, promise!
We had so much fun in December! Lilli and I decided to pick someone we thought needed a pick me up and we took her a gift everyday of Advent! I don't know who enjoyed it more us or her! We hope to pick someone else this Christmas and do the same!!!
We received the greatest gift of all on Christmas Eve! All of Gayle's tests came back clear!
There is no melanoma! We are so very thankful!
Lilli will post her Christmas pictures over at thebuttonboxgirls!
On Christmas Day, John's parents and brother came out and did my mother-in-law have a huge surprise for me! She gave John her engagement ring and her mother-in-law's wedding band to give to me! We all cried! I was very touched!
On Saturday after Christmas we went to my parents' home and had a great time!
John had to work on New Year's Eve so our excitement was limited to home but I couldn't have asked for a better time! We all had a great celebration!
Now I can't say enough about football!
I don't ever say much on here about it but I love it! Really I do! So I was for Penn State, they won! I was for Ohio State, they won! And I was for Florida State and they won! Wow! What more could a girl ask for?! This girl is gonna ask for one more win this weekend from the Colts! Who knows?! Especially since they didn't really play to win last week! I wonder how the other team will think back on the win....we beat the undefeated Colts without their starters!!! I know the Colts want their starters to be healthy but ....I'm just sayin' whoever heard of not playing to win...Duh!!! Whoever heard of putting in the backups for the first time all season thinking they possibly could win but probably not. I say play them some all year...oh but wait the Colts weren't really that far ahead in any game they have won and they had to win until they were sure they won their division! Okay, sorry for the rant! I will always be for the Colts since they are my home team but I have some other favorites out there just in case the Colts don't make it to the Super Bowl!!!! So for now Go Colts!!!

HAVE A HAPPY, HEALTHY, SAFE, AND BLESSED NEW YEAR!!!

Wherever you go whatever you do I hope you have a wonderfully happy day!
Vickie

Another post with no picture...

Hi there!
I just had to post about the new site I added, well actually 3 new ones!
Thanks to spoonfulofsugar!
Writeitdown, bluecricketdesign, modpodgerocks!
They are three very inspirational!
Take a look!

Wherever you are whatever you are doing I hope you have a wonderfully happy day!
Vickie

The Day After Thanksgiving

Hi! I know it has been a long time! I'm sorry about that!
I'm afraid this is going to be a post without pictures, which I don't like to do.
It has been 16 days since my last post and I have to say I have missed posting a lot!
Anyway the time has went by so fast! John and I have celebrated our 29th anniversary! I teased him that we were celebrating our 290th because it seems like forever and ever! It does especially when you think about the fact that you have been married alot longer than you lived at home with your parents!!! I'm just sayin'!!!!
We have had a lot of doctors appointments and a big scare with Gayle! Luckily the news was so much better this best Tuesday than 2 weeks ago! So she is good! Just trying to get a grip on her seizures now!
We have celebrated Thanksgiving just yesterday! This year it seems we had more to be thankful for than we ever have! It was a big day! We even had snow! Our actual plans for this week were to go to Gatlinburg, Tennessee with family but we just couldn't with Gayle in the shape she was in. So with what family was left here in town we celebrated here at our house! We cooked and cooked and forgot to take pictures! We baked a new pie called Snicker Doodle Pie! It would have been so much better with the 1 cup of sugar I left out. Ughhh.....I will have try it again!
We baked a pumpkin pie, made a new banana dessert from Paula Dean! We baked Gayle's favorite sugar cookie! We always get a smoked turkey from our favorite meat market, Fisher's! It almost taste like ham! It is so good!
We had a new kind of ham called an old fashioned pit ham! It came from the same meat market!
Anyway, we had never had it before and didn't even know what it meant. So we listened when someone else asked and the butcher said it was a ham with the bones taken out. I was thinking yeah right, why isn't it long and round? I still don't know but it was round like a plate and almost 4 inches thick and the best ham anyone had ever had! So if you ever have a chance to try one, you should!!! To was a great day filled so much food and lots of full stomachs!!!
We have kicked in to the Christmas mood already! Making gifts and our little Christmas card surprises! We always make a snowman or snowflake to tuck inside each card! It really gets me the comments we get from people we send them to! Some even laminate them to keep! It feels good to know that we brighten someone's day!
I have had some goodies in the mail! My angel sent me the sweetest advent card and my swap partner from mixing bowl.com sent me some very nice towels! It was so fun to receive both!
I hope to be back soon with photos of some of the recipes we have been trying from all of our books!

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing I hope you are having a wonderfully happy day!

Vickie

VETERANS DAY

God Bless America
God Bless our Veterans
Thank You


Wherever you are whatever you are doing I hope you are having a wonderfully happy day!
Vickie

This is it...my 200th post!

What a beautiful Sunday we had here today!
The skies were a beautiful blue and not a cloud in them!
We have spent most of the day getting used to the time change!
Isn't it funny you know it's coming but when it gets here it takes a while to adjust!
We never used to have to change our clocks but nothing can stay the same it seems!

I'm excited I finally reached my 200th post! The way I talk I surely thought I would have reached it before now, but I just can't find the time to be on here so much these days!
It looks like I am not going to have any takers on my giveaway so I guess I will keep the things and try again before Christmas!

Lilli and I have started something new this week! Since we have at least 300 cookbooks...
I know that's a ton and we are finding it hard to store them but we love them and it's hard to tell people we don't want one for a gift so we will continue to get them! The thing is...my brother actually brought this to my attention the other day...we have all these cookbooks and probably have not used all of them at least once. Well, that I thought was a shame so now every week we are going to do our best to try at least one new recipe from one of our books or magazines!
Here is one we tried on Friday! It's from the mixingbowl.com magazine! I have only been able to find one issue in the stores and haven't spent enough time on the site to see if they still put them out, but I have joined the site!

This is called Pizza in a Pot! Yummy! We all loved it!

I finished my Angel Swap stuff and got it mailed out! I was so in a hurry that I forgot to take pictures, but it was fun! I made a Tone Finnanger bag and a rose pin! I made an angel to hang in her room, a rose pin cushion, and a cover for a retractable tape measure(you can find the tutorial for it here)! They were all fun to make!

That's it for me today! I hope you all have a great week!

Wherever you are whatever you are doing I hope you have a wonderfully happy day!

Vickie

It's my Birthday Give Away!!!!

Yes, today is not only my birthday but I share it with a very special friend! Her name is Kacey!
Her and her mom own the Cashmere Cat!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KACEY!!!

I just want to say Thank You again to my Angel for my gifts and I was just reading her blog!
She gave me an award! So Thank You Monika and as soon as I figure out how to get it on my blog, I will share it with every one!!!!

Have you noticed I have added a new list of my favorite things?!!!

Well last year I decided to celebrate my birthday with a give away and so I am at it again this year!
However, this year it will coincide with my 200th post! Can you believe it! I finally made it to my 200th post! Well, almost! I have one more! So with that, I am going to have a surprise giveaway to celebrate! Just leave me comment with a few of your favorite things by Monday, November 2! I well announce the winner on Tuesday!
Sorry no picture today.

Wherever you are whatever you are doing I hope you have a wonderfully happy day!!!
Vickie

My Angel Swap Gifts!!!

It's really early here, but I had to post about my angel swap gifts! Yes, they came today!
My angel is from Germany! Just look at those cards! See the purple card, that is mine! Monika, my angel, made it! It is wonderful!

This is a cushion! Isn't it great! It's in my favorite colors! I wish you could see it better! The white fabric is exquisite!
The words say WISH YOU WELL!!!!

Look at my penguin cards that she made! Aren't they special! There are 12 different ones! I will find it very hard to use them! I love them all!

This is a CD of a quilt pattern that Monika designed!
called December 6.

Here is everything altogether!!

Many thanks to Monika for her hard work and beautiful stitchery! I will cherish all of these things forever!

Wherever you are whatever you are doing I hope you are having a wonderfully happy day!
Vickie

PS...Be sure to go over later today and check out Lilli's gifts! Monika was so kind to send her some, too!!!